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Samaria #5.5
To Weave a Web of Magic
A romantic fantasy anthology with four novellas from renowned authors of romance and fantasy...
USA Today best-selling author Claire Delacroix gives readers a revisionist version of the medieval legend of Melusine. USA Today best-selling author Lynn Kurland's trademark style shines in this tale of the magic and medieval romance between two lovers.
World Fantasy Award-winner Patricia A. McKillip tells of an artist's model and the transforming power of beauty and inspiration.
National best-selling author Sharon Shinn offers a compelling romance set in a strange new off-world of angels and revolving around the pursuit of love.
The very thrill of love comes dazzlingly to life when these four shining stars or romance and fantasy weave their own web of magic for their legions of fans.
USA Today best-selling author Claire Delacroix gives readers a revisionist version of the medieval legend of Melusine. USA Today best-selling author Lynn Kurland's trademark style shines in this tale of the magic and medieval romance between two lovers.
World Fantasy Award-winner Patricia A. McKillip tells of an artist's model and the transforming power of beauty and inspiration.
National best-selling author Sharon Shinn offers a compelling romance set in a strange new off-world of angels and revolving around the pursuit of love.
The very thrill of love comes dazzlingly to life when these four shining stars or romance and fantasy weave their own web of magic for their legions of fans.
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2004
6 people are currently reading
876 people want to read
About the author
Claire Delacroix
123 books519 followersNew York Times bestselling author Claire Delacroix sold her first book in 1992, an historical romance called ROMANCE OF THE ROSE. Since then, she has published over sixty romance novels and novellas, and has also been published under the names Claire Cross and Deborah Cooke. She has an honours degree in history, with a focus on medieval studies. She is an avid reader of medieval vernacular literature, fairy tales and fantasy novels.
For books written under the pseudonym, Claire Cross, see:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
For books written under Claire's own name, Deborah Cooke, please see:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
In October and November 2009, she was the writer in residence for the Toronto Public Library, the first time that the library has hosted a residency focused on the romance genre.
Visit her two websites here:
http://www.delacroix.net
http://www.deborahcooke.com
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http://www.facebook.com/AuthorClaireD...
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Subscribe to her monthly newsletter to keep up to date and receive special offers:
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For books written under the pseudonym, Claire Cross, see:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
For books written under Claire's own name, Deborah Cooke, please see:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
In October and November 2009, she was the writer in residence for the Toronto Public Library, the first time that the library has hosted a residency focused on the romance genre.
Visit her two websites here:
http://www.delacroix.net
http://www.deborahcooke.com
Like her Facebook Fan Pages here:
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorClaireD...
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDebora...
Subscribe to her monthly newsletter to keep up to date and receive special offers:
http://eepurl.com/reIuD
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
July 2, 2009
Of the four novellas included in this volume, I enjoyed the middle two the best. The first novella, "The Gorgon in the Cupboard" by Patricia A. McKillip, was OK but felt a little odd--unfinished, maybe. I never really did feel I understood what was going on with the Gorgon and with the artists' wives/models. It took me a while to get through it.
On the other hand, I LOVED the second novella, "The Tale of the Two Swords" by Lynn Kurland. She hooked me from the beginning and brought her characters to life as though they were real, three-dimensional people. There was humor, adventure, romance. I will have to look up and see what else Kurland has written.
The third novella, "Fallen Angel" by Sharon Shinn, fits into her Samaria series. This story comes after Archangel and Angel-Seeker. I really enjoyed it, but I think someone who hadn't already read Archangel (and/or the rest of the series) might miss out on some of the nuances. It helps to know the back story about the Archangel Raphael's corruption, the battle to transfer power to the next archangel, Gabriel, and the cultures of the Manadaavi and angels (and Jansai, Edori, and even Semorran merchants).
The final novella, "An Elegy for Melusine" by Claire Delacroix, was my least favorite. It took me a long time to wade through, largely because I not only wasn't sure what the point was but also because I didn't really like the narrator much. I just found the story...odd and not quite believable (in the world of the story, that is, not because of the intersection of the realm of the fey).
On the other hand, I LOVED the second novella, "The Tale of the Two Swords" by Lynn Kurland. She hooked me from the beginning and brought her characters to life as though they were real, three-dimensional people. There was humor, adventure, romance. I will have to look up and see what else Kurland has written.
The third novella, "Fallen Angel" by Sharon Shinn, fits into her Samaria series. This story comes after Archangel and Angel-Seeker. I really enjoyed it, but I think someone who hadn't already read Archangel (and/or the rest of the series) might miss out on some of the nuances. It helps to know the back story about the Archangel Raphael's corruption, the battle to transfer power to the next archangel, Gabriel, and the cultures of the Manadaavi and angels (and Jansai, Edori, and even Semorran merchants).
The final novella, "An Elegy for Melusine" by Claire Delacroix, was my least favorite. It took me a long time to wade through, largely because I not only wasn't sure what the point was but also because I didn't really like the narrator much. I just found the story...odd and not quite believable (in the world of the story, that is, not because of the intersection of the realm of the fey).
May 5, 2011
As this is an anthology I will tell what I thought of each of the four stories.
The Gorgon in the Cupboard by Patricia A. McKillip
I love this story. It's beautiful, powerful and original.
The Tale of the Two Swords by Lynn Kurland
Not my kind of story and writing. I felt myself skipping parts to get to the end of this one.
Fallen Angel by Sharon Shinn
The reason I bought this book! I love Shinn's Samaria books and this novella is a worthy addition to the series.
An Elegy for Melusine by Claire Delacroix
Cetainly not a bad story, but I've read better and more original versions of this legend.
So all in all two stories I absolutely loved and two I didn't much care about. The two I loved more than made up for the other two though.
The Gorgon in the Cupboard by Patricia A. McKillip
I love this story. It's beautiful, powerful and original.
The Tale of the Two Swords by Lynn Kurland
Not my kind of story and writing. I felt myself skipping parts to get to the end of this one.
Fallen Angel by Sharon Shinn
The reason I bought this book! I love Shinn's Samaria books and this novella is a worthy addition to the series.
An Elegy for Melusine by Claire Delacroix
Cetainly not a bad story, but I've read better and more original versions of this legend.
So all in all two stories I absolutely loved and two I didn't much care about. The two I loved more than made up for the other two though.
July 5, 2015
The first story, The Gorgon in the Cupboard, didn't really grab me. I felt like it was missing something, or it could have been better. The other three stories were great, my favorites being The Tale of Two Swords and Fallen Angel (I do have a soft spot for Samaria stories--I'm a big fan of Sharon Shinn). All things considered, I enjoyed these novellas far more than I believed I would, because this subgenre of fantasy isn't usually my thing. I'd recommend this to general fantasy enthusiasts, as long as you don't mind a hefty dose of romance.
February 22, 2017
After I read "A Whisper of Spring" by Lynn Kurland in The Queen in Winter and it had me captivated, went on to read the next tidbit from Nine Kingdoms - The Tale of the Two Swords - which is part of To Weave a Web of Magic
It was just as wonderful as the previous one. Truly. Lynn Kurland has a gift for weaving stories.
In A Whisper of Spring we were introduced to Symon & Iolaire's story, here, we got to meet their great -great-grandson (Gil) and his story with Mehar. Told by Gil himself as a story to his 8 year old son. A story within a story :D
Needless to say, I was thoroughly enchanted...again :D
Really, and these two were only short stories. Now my expectations for the full book, the first in Nine Kingdoms series Star of the Morning are set pretty high. But I have no doubt that if it'll keep in the same style, Kurland will have me just as delighted.
It was just as wonderful as the previous one. Truly. Lynn Kurland has a gift for weaving stories.
In A Whisper of Spring we were introduced to Symon & Iolaire's story, here, we got to meet their great -great-grandson (Gil) and his story with Mehar. Told by Gil himself as a story to his 8 year old son. A story within a story :D
Needless to say, I was thoroughly enchanted...again :D
Really, and these two were only short stories. Now my expectations for the full book, the first in Nine Kingdoms series Star of the Morning are set pretty high. But I have no doubt that if it'll keep in the same style, Kurland will have me just as delighted.
November 24, 2017
Only read "The Tale of Two Swords" (Nine Kingdoms, Book 0.5) by Lynn Kurland
Mehar of Angesand is fleeing from home, running to the palace, looking for help deciphering her mother's book of spells from the king or his mage. Her abrupt departure, leaving her betrothed in the dust, ends up with her having a price on her head and men on her trail. When she finally does arrive at the palace it's to find it in ruins, with just two men, apparently servants, Gil and Alcuin, lingering.
Gil doesn't correct her belief, wanting to be simple Gil - perhaps named after his father's favorite hound - instead of Gilraehan the Fey, Prince of Neroche...King, in fact with his father recently dead. Gil's looking for a bit of peace to figure things out after the devastating defeat his family suffered against Lothar of Wychweald.
When Mehar shows up, Gil begins to wish that he could perhaps choose differently than has been planned for him - no more so than when his intended shows up at the palace after just a few short days of getting to know Mehar.
Having read Star of the Morning before this, I heard about The Tale of the Two Swords extensively, and was ecstatic to see the story (within a story) presented here. It's everything it is promised to be - full of romance, and intrigue, with danger lurking just there. The writing is typical of Lynn Kurland, strong men with courtly manners; women who have more power than they realize and the desire and ability to use it and fantastic banter that makes me grin.
*sighs happily*
Mehar of Angesand is fleeing from home, running to the palace, looking for help deciphering her mother's book of spells from the king or his mage. Her abrupt departure, leaving her betrothed in the dust, ends up with her having a price on her head and men on her trail. When she finally does arrive at the palace it's to find it in ruins, with just two men, apparently servants, Gil and Alcuin, lingering.
Gil doesn't correct her belief, wanting to be simple Gil - perhaps named after his father's favorite hound - instead of Gilraehan the Fey, Prince of Neroche...King, in fact with his father recently dead. Gil's looking for a bit of peace to figure things out after the devastating defeat his family suffered against Lothar of Wychweald.
When Mehar shows up, Gil begins to wish that he could perhaps choose differently than has been planned for him - no more so than when his intended shows up at the palace after just a few short days of getting to know Mehar.
Having read Star of the Morning before this, I heard about The Tale of the Two Swords extensively, and was ecstatic to see the story (within a story) presented here. It's everything it is promised to be - full of romance, and intrigue, with danger lurking just there. The writing is typical of Lynn Kurland, strong men with courtly manners; women who have more power than they realize and the desire and ability to use it and fantastic banter that makes me grin.
"I suppose," she said pulling back, "that you'll need someone about you to remind you you're merely a man when you begin to take yourself too seriously."
"And you won't?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.
She shook her head. "I am your warp threads, my liege, ever fixed in my affections. Let someone else correct your pattern. My task is to wrap you in peace and comfort, not strip you of it."
*sighs happily*
"I need a sword, Gil. I'll need some way to guard your back. To guard my own if you're guarding our children. I could weave things into it."
He looked at her quietly for a moment or two, then nodded. "As you will, love."
August 30, 2023
New review: Shinn's smooth prose makes most of her work difficult to put down, and this story was no exception. Shinn uses one of her more common tropes, an adolescent who begins the story as a somewhat vapid girl and eventually becomes smarter and more enlightened by the end. Upon rereading, I found the family drama much more compelling than the romance. There just wasn't enough to Jesse and Eden's characters to make me really believe they had fallen in love. Also, Shinn relies on a lot of sudden, soap-opera drama to drive all of her plot twists, all of which end up feeling forced. She does this often in her full length novels too, and my capacity to be patient with it depends on how well I've been entertained by the book. In the case of this short story, I'd say I was entertained just enough. I connected to the story the most when it focused on Eden doing her best to keep her household running after disaster strikes, and I almost wish we had gotten a full length novel about her struggle.
In general, I think Shinn writes better adult characters than adolescents, and I would probably recommend Nocturne (the other short story from the Samaria universe) over this one--though I will continue to reread this very happily in the years to come.
very very old review from almost a decade ago:
I only read this for Sharon Shinn's Samaria story and it was LOVELY. Would highly recommend to Shinn fans!
In general, I think Shinn writes better adult characters than adolescents, and I would probably recommend Nocturne (the other short story from the Samaria universe) over this one--though I will continue to reread this very happily in the years to come.
very very old review from almost a decade ago:
I only read this for Sharon Shinn's Samaria story and it was LOVELY. Would highly recommend to Shinn fans!
May 7, 2020
Because Patricia McKilip and Sharon Shinn are awesome 👏🏻
January 16, 2021
This is a collection of four novellas - each written by a different author. The Gorgon in the Cupboard by Patricia A. McKillip features an aspiring artist desperate to achieve recognition by his peers. In his despair, he cries out for a Muse. The one who responds is Medusa. A mixed blessing to be sure. The Tale of Two Swords by Lynn Kurland is framed as a father reading a story to his children. But is it fiction or is it truth? A young woman flees the home where an undesirable marriage is being arranged for her. She ends up in a ruined and mostly deserted castle where nothing is what it seems to be. Fallen Angel by Sharon Shinn imagines a country where angels live in a nearby town and often consort with humans. This tale is told by the sole daughter of a wealthy and powerful merchant. While she appears to be a demure young debutante, she is drawn to an unruly and unrepentant angel. The final story is An Elegy for Melusine by Claire Delacroix. Two spoiled young matrons enter a once magnificent home that had fallen into disrepair many years earlier. There they encounter an old woman who promises to tell them the true events that had led to the downfall of the former occupants. The story does not end well for the doomed lovers, or for the trespassers. I enjoyed this excellent collection of romantic and magical fantasies. I rationed myself to one a day so that they could each stand alone.
July 18, 2019
As with another anthology containing Shinn and Kurland, their stories were delightful. However, you would need to have read a lot of Shinn before understanding the background behind this shortee.
The other 2 stories weren't worth the paper they were written on which is why I couldn't give it very many stars. For Shinn it would be ***** and for Kurland ****. For the other 2 no stars if that were possible.
The other 2 stories weren't worth the paper they were written on which is why I couldn't give it very many stars. For Shinn it would be ***** and for Kurland ****. For the other 2 no stars if that were possible.
January 24, 2018
I always thought I didn't like short stories very much, but to my surprise, I was able to get into these and enjoyed them. However, my favorites were Kurland's and Shinn's (4 stars), perhaps since I was already familiar with the worlds they were set in because of their other books. Delacroix's and McKillip's were not exactly my favorites, but still well written (2 stars).
December 14, 2022
The first story in this book was very different from the rest. And a bit slow, so it took me a bit to get through it. I enjoyed the second and third stories quite a bit. The last one was just depressing. I did enjoy the mixture of the fantasy with romantic tales. But not sure I'll grab other books by these authors.
November 9, 2017
One of the four stories is by Lynn Kurland in the magical Nine Kingdoms. A background insight that makes the world so enjoyable.
December 18, 2017
Read the Kurland short story. Not great. No desire to continue reading this author/stories. Pretty juvenile.
February 5, 2020
3.75 stars.
November 3, 2020
Each of the four stories in this book is a well crafted tale. It would be hard to pick a favorite among them, they were all worth reading.
April 19, 2010
This is a decent collection, pleasing throughout but not excellent and likely not terribly memorable. Needless to say, I come at it from the fantasy end of the spectrum, and I suspect that fantasy readers will be more pleased by it than romance readers, for only one of the stories properly delivers the happily ever after ending that the romance genre demands. Still, as mind candy it works admirably well, and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon reading it.
I picked the anthology up for the first story, Patricia McKillip's "The Gorgon in the Cupboard." It is also the best in the book -- so good, in fact, that it was later included in the Science Fiction Book Club's anthology The Best Short Novels: 2005. It is a story about Harry, a struggling painter desperately in love with his mentor's beautiful wife, and Jo, a girl destitute and forsaken on the streets after several hard turns of fortune. The fantasy element comes into play when Harry pulls out a painting he never finished because his model disappeared and paints his mentor's wife's mouth onto it in a fit of despondency that he will never be able to create a work worthy of her; he is understandably shocked when the mouth comes to life and begins to speak to him. That is the only fantasy element obvious in the story (though it is a rather glaring one); the setting is vague and paintings speaking are clearly not a common occurrance. The romance is also very slight. This is because what the story is really about is perception, the ways that we see what we want rather than what is. It's gossamer-light, yet far richer than it seems on the surface, wise and sensitive to the myriad ways life is fragile and bittersweet, particularly for women. It is stop-me-dead-in-my-tracks (reading-wise) beautiful.
The second story, Lynn Kurland's "The Tale of Two Swords," is the one I suspect romance readers will be happiest with, and it made me smile and roll my eyes in equal amounts (often at the same time). It made me roll my eyes for more reasons than I can count -- the self-conscious modern fairy tale narration (complete with "In which [blank happens:]" as the title of each chapter); the combination of hopelessly modern actions on the characters' part even as they speak in hopelessly archaic (and likely inaccurate) dialogue; the fact that the man has just lost his family and his kingdom in an epic battle, the woman has a price on her head, and all they do is frolic in the forest getting muddy. It also doesn't have time to even get to the two swords part of the title -- the story is entirely the romance component (and the true happily ever after ending). I believe the story is something of a prequel to one of Kurland's ongoing series, so perhaps the two swords part is dealt with in one of the novels. However, despite all those things that irked me, I still couldn't help liking the characters and liking their romance, so I suppose Kurland did her job well. (Should I hate myself a little for falling for it?)
The third story, Sharon Shinn's "Fallen Angel," is the one romance readers will have the most trouble with, and it may even be hard for fantasy readers that are unfamiliar with Shinn's Samaria series. It's set ten years after the end of Archangel (and even has a fairly toothless cameo by the Archangel Gabriel) and Shinn seems to assume that the reader has enough background knowledge of her books that she doesn't need to explain the slightly unusual way Samaria works. Unfortunately, this has led to some readers calling the story sacrilegous, because they have no context for this tale of angels behaving badly. For those who want to read the story and don't have that context, please keep in mind that the angels are nothing more than humans with wings -- they are not actually the angels of Christian mythology. Even more unfortunately, "Fallen Angel" just doesn't quite work as either fantasy or romance -- as I already mentioned, Shinn doesn't give enough grounding in the fantasy world-building to satisfy those fans, and the romance is decent (if of the "ooo, what a sexy bad boy" variety) only until the ending totally destroys suspension of disbelief with an out-of-left-field resolution that heaps all the evils in the world on one head. Still, I didn't hate the story, because it actually starts to address some of the thornier side of the world of Samaria -- the sort of chaos that can ensue when a ruling class with a free love worldview comes into conflict with a merchant class with very strict rules of propriety.
The fourth story, Claire Delacroix's "An Elegy for Melusine," is a retelling of the Melusine myth. It hews very closely to the story as described on Wikipedia (I wasn't overly familiar with the myth, so I looked it up, lol) and is rendered in serviceable enough prose that the myth's full power shines through. It has a totally unnecessary framing story, unfortunately, but other than that I quite liked it. However, romance readers should again be warned: the myth does not have a particularly happy ending.
I picked the anthology up for the first story, Patricia McKillip's "The Gorgon in the Cupboard." It is also the best in the book -- so good, in fact, that it was later included in the Science Fiction Book Club's anthology The Best Short Novels: 2005. It is a story about Harry, a struggling painter desperately in love with his mentor's beautiful wife, and Jo, a girl destitute and forsaken on the streets after several hard turns of fortune. The fantasy element comes into play when Harry pulls out a painting he never finished because his model disappeared and paints his mentor's wife's mouth onto it in a fit of despondency that he will never be able to create a work worthy of her; he is understandably shocked when the mouth comes to life and begins to speak to him. That is the only fantasy element obvious in the story (though it is a rather glaring one); the setting is vague and paintings speaking are clearly not a common occurrance. The romance is also very slight. This is because what the story is really about is perception, the ways that we see what we want rather than what is. It's gossamer-light, yet far richer than it seems on the surface, wise and sensitive to the myriad ways life is fragile and bittersweet, particularly for women. It is stop-me-dead-in-my-tracks (reading-wise) beautiful.
The second story, Lynn Kurland's "The Tale of Two Swords," is the one I suspect romance readers will be happiest with, and it made me smile and roll my eyes in equal amounts (often at the same time). It made me roll my eyes for more reasons than I can count -- the self-conscious modern fairy tale narration (complete with "In which [blank happens:]" as the title of each chapter); the combination of hopelessly modern actions on the characters' part even as they speak in hopelessly archaic (and likely inaccurate) dialogue; the fact that the man has just lost his family and his kingdom in an epic battle, the woman has a price on her head, and all they do is frolic in the forest getting muddy. It also doesn't have time to even get to the two swords part of the title -- the story is entirely the romance component (and the true happily ever after ending). I believe the story is something of a prequel to one of Kurland's ongoing series, so perhaps the two swords part is dealt with in one of the novels. However, despite all those things that irked me, I still couldn't help liking the characters and liking their romance, so I suppose Kurland did her job well. (Should I hate myself a little for falling for it?)
The third story, Sharon Shinn's "Fallen Angel," is the one romance readers will have the most trouble with, and it may even be hard for fantasy readers that are unfamiliar with Shinn's Samaria series. It's set ten years after the end of Archangel (and even has a fairly toothless cameo by the Archangel Gabriel) and Shinn seems to assume that the reader has enough background knowledge of her books that she doesn't need to explain the slightly unusual way Samaria works. Unfortunately, this has led to some readers calling the story sacrilegous, because they have no context for this tale of angels behaving badly. For those who want to read the story and don't have that context, please keep in mind that the angels are nothing more than humans with wings -- they are not actually the angels of Christian mythology. Even more unfortunately, "Fallen Angel" just doesn't quite work as either fantasy or romance -- as I already mentioned, Shinn doesn't give enough grounding in the fantasy world-building to satisfy those fans, and the romance is decent (if of the "ooo, what a sexy bad boy" variety) only until the ending totally destroys suspension of disbelief with an out-of-left-field resolution that heaps all the evils in the world on one head. Still, I didn't hate the story, because it actually starts to address some of the thornier side of the world of Samaria -- the sort of chaos that can ensue when a ruling class with a free love worldview comes into conflict with a merchant class with very strict rules of propriety.
The fourth story, Claire Delacroix's "An Elegy for Melusine," is a retelling of the Melusine myth. It hews very closely to the story as described on Wikipedia (I wasn't overly familiar with the myth, so I looked it up, lol) and is rendered in serviceable enough prose that the myth's full power shines through. It has a totally unnecessary framing story, unfortunately, but other than that I quite liked it. However, romance readers should again be warned: the myth does not have a particularly happy ending.
March 4, 2013
Four separate stories in the “fantasy/romance” genre – two from successful fantasy authors and two from successful romance authors.
The Gorgon in the Cupboard – Patricia McKillip
The moral of the story is that men put women on pedestals, and the women don’t always appreciate it.
In this tale of a group of artists and their models, the “pedestals” are almost literal. The spirit of the gorgon Medusa speaks to one artist through one of his paintings, helping him to see a woman for who she is as a person, rather than one of the idealized mythological figures he paints women as.
It’s a bit heavy-handed, and the fantasy element is really not even particularly necessary to the story.
The Tale of the Two Swords – Lynn Kurland
You know how sometimes you watch a bad fantasy movie, and the actors look completely embarrassed to be wearing medieval-style costumes, and you can tell they’re barely holding back snickers as they say their “thee”s and “thous”s? Well, this story is kind of like those movies. A completely generic medieval-style setting, generic, unbelievable characters, anachronistic dialogue…. If it were just a bit more tongue-in-cheek, it might succeed as humor, but as it is, I found it to just fall flat. Framed as a story read to a child (which also didn’t work for me), our heroine runs from an arranged marriage, encounters magic, and finds love with a handsome prince. Blah.
Fallen Angel – Sharon Shinn
This one, I really liked. Shinn’s Samaria, setting of several of her novels (which are still sitting on my TBR shelf!), is a Middle Eastern-type land where human tribes and winged angels co-exist, and serves as a well-realized backdrop to her story of a young woman of a wealthy human family who is expected to marry for money and political advantage – but instead falls for a young angel of dubious reputation. A age-old tale – but done here with some original twists, and fascinating characters.
An Elegy for Melusine – Claire Delacroix
The cursed fairy Melusine tells her story to two human women who chance to enter the ruined castle where once she lived with her human lover. Although the character makes a fairly big deal about telling the story from her point of view rather than from the ‘mortal’ point of view that has come down to listeners through the years, the story, as written, is a fairly straight recounting of the basic French legend, right down to the details, without any major changes. Nice, but not exceptional.
The Gorgon in the Cupboard – Patricia McKillip
The moral of the story is that men put women on pedestals, and the women don’t always appreciate it.
In this tale of a group of artists and their models, the “pedestals” are almost literal. The spirit of the gorgon Medusa speaks to one artist through one of his paintings, helping him to see a woman for who she is as a person, rather than one of the idealized mythological figures he paints women as.
It’s a bit heavy-handed, and the fantasy element is really not even particularly necessary to the story.
The Tale of the Two Swords – Lynn Kurland
You know how sometimes you watch a bad fantasy movie, and the actors look completely embarrassed to be wearing medieval-style costumes, and you can tell they’re barely holding back snickers as they say their “thee”s and “thous”s? Well, this story is kind of like those movies. A completely generic medieval-style setting, generic, unbelievable characters, anachronistic dialogue…. If it were just a bit more tongue-in-cheek, it might succeed as humor, but as it is, I found it to just fall flat. Framed as a story read to a child (which also didn’t work for me), our heroine runs from an arranged marriage, encounters magic, and finds love with a handsome prince. Blah.
Fallen Angel – Sharon Shinn
This one, I really liked. Shinn’s Samaria, setting of several of her novels (which are still sitting on my TBR shelf!), is a Middle Eastern-type land where human tribes and winged angels co-exist, and serves as a well-realized backdrop to her story of a young woman of a wealthy human family who is expected to marry for money and political advantage – but instead falls for a young angel of dubious reputation. A age-old tale – but done here with some original twists, and fascinating characters.
An Elegy for Melusine – Claire Delacroix
The cursed fairy Melusine tells her story to two human women who chance to enter the ruined castle where once she lived with her human lover. Although the character makes a fairly big deal about telling the story from her point of view rather than from the ‘mortal’ point of view that has come down to listeners through the years, the story, as written, is a fairly straight recounting of the basic French legend, right down to the details, without any major changes. Nice, but not exceptional.
October 7, 2011
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The Tale of the Two Swords, which is found in the anthology To Weave a Web of Magic, is the second Nine Kingdoms novella. I absolutely love the opening to this story. The whole novella is a story within a story. The story opens with young Harold wishing for an adventure. Since he is young, it is snowing outside, and he is recovering from a cold, he settles for an adventurous tale told by his father. The tale his father tells is The Tale of the Two Swords. If you have read the other Nine Kingdoms books, The Tale of the Two Swords is mentioned a time or two. And this is where we hear the full tale.
Mehar is a young woman with the ability to weave magical cloth. Unfortunately, her father, Robert of Angesand, doesn't appreciate much about Mehar and has decided to marry her off to an unpleasant suitor. Mehar takes her fate into her own hands and decides to flee on one of her father's horses, determined to take her pleas to the king. When she arrives at the palace, however, she discovers that a disaster has happened and instead of finding the king, she finds to young men who she believes are servants, Gil and Alcuin.
What Mehar doesn't realize is that Gil is in fact Prince Gilraehen, who, with the death of his father, is now king. Gil has been through a lot and the peace that Mehar brings to him and his current situation is welcome. He is happy to keep Mehar in the dark about his true identity. As the two spend time together, their attraction grows. As they put together the clues of each other's true identity, they realize that out of the disaster, together they can forge a new future for the kingdom of Neroche.
As I said, I liked the story. Yes, it is a bit rushed in places. But that is the nature of the short story. What I like about it is the charming character of Harold, the writing that, despite being a shortened story, is all Kurland, the beauty of the world of the Nine Kingdoms, and the love story that grows between the two characters.
The Tale of the Two Swords, which is found in the anthology To Weave a Web of Magic, is the second Nine Kingdoms novella. I absolutely love the opening to this story. The whole novella is a story within a story. The story opens with young Harold wishing for an adventure. Since he is young, it is snowing outside, and he is recovering from a cold, he settles for an adventurous tale told by his father. The tale his father tells is The Tale of the Two Swords. If you have read the other Nine Kingdoms books, The Tale of the Two Swords is mentioned a time or two. And this is where we hear the full tale.
Mehar is a young woman with the ability to weave magical cloth. Unfortunately, her father, Robert of Angesand, doesn't appreciate much about Mehar and has decided to marry her off to an unpleasant suitor. Mehar takes her fate into her own hands and decides to flee on one of her father's horses, determined to take her pleas to the king. When she arrives at the palace, however, she discovers that a disaster has happened and instead of finding the king, she finds to young men who she believes are servants, Gil and Alcuin.
What Mehar doesn't realize is that Gil is in fact Prince Gilraehen, who, with the death of his father, is now king. Gil has been through a lot and the peace that Mehar brings to him and his current situation is welcome. He is happy to keep Mehar in the dark about his true identity. As the two spend time together, their attraction grows. As they put together the clues of each other's true identity, they realize that out of the disaster, together they can forge a new future for the kingdom of Neroche.
As I said, I liked the story. Yes, it is a bit rushed in places. But that is the nature of the short story. What I like about it is the charming character of Harold, the writing that, despite being a shortened story, is all Kurland, the beauty of the world of the Nine Kingdoms, and the love story that grows between the two characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2016
Today post is on The Tale of the Two Swords by Lynn Kurland. It is 103 pages long and is published by Berkley. It is a novella in Kurland's Nine Kingdoms series. The cover has a young woman sleeping on it. The intended reader is someone who likes fantasy, romance, and interesting characters. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this novella. The story is told from the third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- Mehar of Angesand is looking for a mage to help her discipher a book of spells she found in her mother’s belongings. She arrives at the palace of Chagailt to find it in ruins and the king and his mage dead. The stranger who offers to help her in spite of that turns out to be much more than he seems…
Review- Another wonderful addition to the Nine Kingdoms lore. This is about how Mehar become queen of Neroche and it hints about how she made her sword that Morgan destroys. It is a journey story and shows how the kings of Neroche has always been the same kind of guy. One with too much of a sense of humor for their own good. Like normal I really like the characters that you meet. I would like to read more about the side characters and I want to read more about Mehar and her king. Lothar is in the background and there is a new villain that I do not remember reading about before. I liked that Lothar was in the background, we do not really deal too much with him and his evil plans. He was just the reason for the story but no where near the point.
I give this novella a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
From the back of the book- Mehar of Angesand is looking for a mage to help her discipher a book of spells she found in her mother’s belongings. She arrives at the palace of Chagailt to find it in ruins and the king and his mage dead. The stranger who offers to help her in spite of that turns out to be much more than he seems…
Review- Another wonderful addition to the Nine Kingdoms lore. This is about how Mehar become queen of Neroche and it hints about how she made her sword that Morgan destroys. It is a journey story and shows how the kings of Neroche has always been the same kind of guy. One with too much of a sense of humor for their own good. Like normal I really like the characters that you meet. I would like to read more about the side characters and I want to read more about Mehar and her king. Lothar is in the background and there is a new villain that I do not remember reading about before. I liked that Lothar was in the background, we do not really deal too much with him and his evil plans. He was just the reason for the story but no where near the point.
I give this novella a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
March 17, 2012
I hate to give this book only three stars because the McKillip and Shinn stories were so good -- five star stories, for sure. The other two stories were not terrible, but they didn't really have that... spark.
I checked this book out from the library and now feel like I need to buy it so I can own McKillip's "the Gorgon in the Cupboard" -- I would lump this story in with her "Stepping From the Shadows" as far as style and type of story (they really need to re-release that book, come to think of it, because I actually had to interlibrary loan THAT one!). The level of magic is fairly low and of the type where the reader could believe that it's more psychology than mysticism.
The Shinn story was just full of that Shinn wonderfulness that I've come to expect of her. Well thought out story and culture and characters.
I checked this book out from the library and now feel like I need to buy it so I can own McKillip's "the Gorgon in the Cupboard" -- I would lump this story in with her "Stepping From the Shadows" as far as style and type of story (they really need to re-release that book, come to think of it, because I actually had to interlibrary loan THAT one!). The level of magic is fairly low and of the type where the reader could believe that it's more psychology than mysticism.
The Shinn story was just full of that Shinn wonderfulness that I've come to expect of her. Well thought out story and culture and characters.
July 4, 2014
There are 4 stories in total. I detested one, liked two and found the other one to be okay.
The first story is "The Gorgon in the Cupboard" and I seriously don't know what this thing was about. There's a painter who thinks absurdly. There's his community and stuff and a talking mouth(!). This is the first story of the book and made me want to DNF it. But I had no other option at that time so had to continue. Anyway, 1 star.
The second one, "The Tale of the Two Swords" was a good read, but I can't fathom that they got married after knowing each other for two days. 3 stars anyway.
The third, "Fallen Angel" tried to put a lot of twists, but was predictable nonetheless. I felt the story dragged for no reason. 2 stars.
The last one, "An Elegy for Melusine" was pretty creepy in my opinion and I had fun while reading it. 3 stars.
Overall, an okay read.
The first story is "The Gorgon in the Cupboard" and I seriously don't know what this thing was about. There's a painter who thinks absurdly. There's his community and stuff and a talking mouth(!). This is the first story of the book and made me want to DNF it. But I had no other option at that time so had to continue. Anyway, 1 star.
The second one, "The Tale of the Two Swords" was a good read, but I can't fathom that they got married after knowing each other for two days. 3 stars anyway.
The third, "Fallen Angel" tried to put a lot of twists, but was predictable nonetheless. I felt the story dragged for no reason. 2 stars.
The last one, "An Elegy for Melusine" was pretty creepy in my opinion and I had fun while reading it. 3 stars.
Overall, an okay read.
July 13, 2011
So far I've only read Lynn Kurland's story in this one.
Short...sweet, and full of details. And it left me wanting more...just like ALL of hers.
Harold wants his father to read an adventure for the umpteenth time. It's the story of a young woman who escapes her father on a magical horse. She meets a man who is more than he seems.
When the story is over, again, Harold, who is only 8, SEES the truth of the story and really SEES for the first time. He's in the MIDDLE of an adventure!
Would love to see more of this...truly! It does stand on it's own, but sure would like to SEE the downfall of the bad guy...
Short...sweet, and full of details. And it left me wanting more...just like ALL of hers.
Harold wants his father to read an adventure for the umpteenth time. It's the story of a young woman who escapes her father on a magical horse. She meets a man who is more than he seems.
When the story is over, again, Harold, who is only 8, SEES the truth of the story and really SEES for the first time. He's in the MIDDLE of an adventure!
Would love to see more of this...truly! It does stand on it's own, but sure would like to SEE the downfall of the bad guy...
August 4, 2011
Overall this was a touch and go collection of short stories. The first short story Gorgon in the Cupboard was hard to buy into and I found myself skimming the pages to finish quickly. The second story Tale of the Two Swords was my favorite in huge part because it was like a short prequel to the Ning Kingdom Books and tells how some very important swords came into being, while having a cute little story to go with it. The third short story Fallen Angel was slow in some parts, but overall a interesting story to read. The last story the The Elegy for Museline was sad and very depressing by the end, of course I had a inkling of what was going to happen since it's and Elegy, but still... Overall these collections of short stories were okay, but nothing inspiring.
December 22, 2014
"Four stories of fantasy and exquisite romance..." says the cover of this book. Notice the modifier for romance and the lack thereof for fantasy? The McKinley story, which I expected to like the most, is the one I like next to least. It was missing all the charm and magic of most of her other works. It was rather drab and straight forward. The Shinn story I liked the least. There was nothing "exquisite" about the romance in this one. It actually seemed juvenile and not in a good way. I can't decide which of the two remaining stories I liked more, although the only one I would tag with "exquisite" is the Delacroix story. It was very much a romantic fairy tale with a not happily ever after ending.
September 2, 2011
on the advice of my SIL, i only read the first three stories. the first story was pretty strange and worth skipping. the second story was great. i already love Kurland's world of magic in the other books along the same family line and this was no exception. it truly makes me look forward to the next book in that series to come out! the third story i found myself liking quite a bit actually. with an interesting world in which angels and humans co-exist and interact, i found myself truly taken in. with the ultimate 'bad boy complex' story line, this story touched that bit in me that i am sure many of us have or have had at some point.
October 15, 2015
Overall this book was ok. I enjoyed the books by Lynn Kurland and Sharon Shinn the most. The other two didn't really grab me all that well. If I had only rated this book on the two stories I liked, this would have been a four or a five star rating. I've read all of Kurland's Kingdoms Series in which they talk about the Tale of the Two Swords a lot. I was thrilled to finally actually read the whole story. Shinn's Angel story was very captivating, however I personally didn't like the idea of Angels and Humans coming together romantically. I had to imagine something other than angels to really enjoy the plot.
November 8, 2016
A collection of four romantic fantasy short stories.
Patricia A. McKillip's Gorgon in the Cupboard has appeared in one of her own collections.
Lynn Kurland's The Tale of Two Swords is a romantic medieval fantasy which eight year old
Harold learns that mom and dad are more than just his parents.
Sharon Shinn's Fallen Angel is set in a fantasy version of the Middle East where Angels interact
with humans. Part of the story is an abbreviated version of Prometheus.
Claire Delacroix's An Elegy for Melusine is the most tragic. The classic myth is told from Melusine's
perspective and is very similar to Media.
Patricia A. McKillip's Gorgon in the Cupboard has appeared in one of her own collections.
Lynn Kurland's The Tale of Two Swords is a romantic medieval fantasy which eight year old
Harold learns that mom and dad are more than just his parents.
Sharon Shinn's Fallen Angel is set in a fantasy version of the Middle East where Angels interact
with humans. Part of the story is an abbreviated version of Prometheus.
Claire Delacroix's An Elegy for Melusine is the most tragic. The classic myth is told from Melusine's
perspective and is very similar to Media.
February 23, 2011
Love Shinn, McKillip and Kurland so this was a must read. I only read these three stories because Delacroix is not my type of author. McKillips story was a little unfinished for me. I felt like there was so much more to tell, but as an author she likes you to figure things out on your own so I expected that.Kurland gives you a little back story to her Nine Kingdoms books. Shinn's book was for her Angel series and I really liked that story. My only gripe is that all of them could be longer and more developed.
March 5, 2016
Another great set of stories from female fantasy authors. McKillip's is my least favorite - a story of a painter and his muse. But the other three were wonderful: Kurland's story of a princess fleeing her betrothal and the man she finds in an abandoned castle is beautifully written with a wonderful twist you won't see coming; Shinn's story of a well-off young woman and the rogue angel she hears so much about is lovely; and Delacroix's haunting story of a half-fae/half-mortal woman trying desparately to throw off a curse brings grief as well as joy. For adults and older teens.
April 19, 2008
There are four stories in this book. I didn't like the fourth one, and the 1st & 3rd are okay, but the 2nd one is a tale of the Nine Kingdoms, and that one I liked. Actually, it tells why Mehar made the sword of Angesband that figures so prominently in Star of the Morning. It also has all sorts of little background info that is nice to see, wrapped up in a delightful short story in the Nine Kingdoms style.
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